A hand printed program for "A Christmas Carol"

Page 1

A hand-printed flyer for “A Christmas Carol” It was cold in the church. The ceiling was tall and drafty. The setting though, was very picturesque — classic small town Midwest. 19th century white wood exterior with bell tower and stained-glass windows, surrounded by old oak and maple trees. Snow had fallen that early morning, so the grounds were coated with a sprinkling of sugary powder, which miraculously stacked neatly up on the branches and gave the whole scene a Currier & Ives sentimentality. Just shake the snow globe and you would get the picture. The Church Mouse Players. That’s what they were calling themselves this year. They were in between permanent theatres, so they became an itinerant troupe of actors searching for a home. The old classic, A Christmas Carol had been the holiday standard for many years, and this season’s production promised to be one of the best. The cast was stellar, each role custom fit, and most of his family was in the show, which was an added bonus. At 11 years of age, he had finally graduated to the roles of Young Ebeneezer and The Butcher Boy. No more squeezing into the ratty Tiny Tim costume and having to lug that awful, smelly crutch around. His baby brother was now relegated to the part of the sickly cripple. He, on the other hand, actually had several lines, and could walk on his own two legs! The December run of the show had been very well attended and the Christmas Eve matinee was shaping up to be a full house. It was the last show of the year, so excitement was building to fever pitch. Most of the cast had spent the morning singing carols in the village, strolling down Main Street from shop to shop. He imagined himself transported back to Victorian England, dressed as he was in breeches, scarf, top hat and waistcoat. He had even begun to speak wif ’ a Cockney accent, so pervasive was the fantasy. An atmosphere of joyousness and goodwill seemed to have taken over the small town as well. Young children laughing and jumping with barely contained excitement darted between their shopping parents’ legs, snatching at each other’s hats and wagging candy canes at their comrades. The measured solemnity of the singing of traditional carols belied a growing, electrical tension rising in his preteen heart. He saw his young peers running to and fro, caught up in the spirit of the holidays, while he stood distinct, surrounded by adult and child performers. The effect this separation had on him was one of specialness, a sense of entitled maturity. It was as if he belonged to a select group of individuals whose rare abilities set them somehow apart. They existed on a rarefied plane, a few feet above the audience, even when entertaining at street level. He didn’t feel the cold, either, although he could see his breath on the air, enwrapped as he was in a cluster of human warmth. These were his family, his tribe, and they provided his purpose as well as his shelter. 1


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
A hand printed program for "A Christmas Carol" by Grey Ivor Morris - Issuu